WW II Relics

[Elwyn]

I was just wasting time looking at some Youtube stuff and ran across this little tidbit. Don't know any details as it appears to be all in Russian. Pay attention to what crops up at 1:12. Caution-Some graphic Images. Is this the same plane that caused so much squabling a few years back?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB1QGbGwnuk&NR=1

[bdk]

That be the one!

[Second Air Force]

I'm not sure if it's the same airplane, but the struts still appear to be aired up!

[DoraNineFan]

Mixed feelings on these videos, mostly from Eastern Europe. A few of them are interesting while the remainder are just disturbing.

While I see treating the body of a fallen airman with respect and giving him a proper burial as perfectly fine, some of the people in these videos are digging up the graves of fallen men and picking through the bones for coat buttons, pins, and medals--something I find very unsettling. There is no archeological approach to what is done in these other videos.

[agent86]

some of the people in these videos are digging up the graves of fallen men and picking through the bones for coat buttons, pins, and medals--something I find very unsettling. There is no archeological approach to what is done in these other videos.

I realize that this might bother some people,But I ask .What good does letting this material molder in the ground along with the bones as opposed to recovering them do?.These people are unfortunately dead and will always remain so.Proper Archaeology will never happen here.They are still digging up Pompei and Egypt.Not only can some poor sole help feed himself and maybe his family,someone else will now enjoy and cherish these items.As harsh as this may seem,Dead people dont miss posessions.Remember,you cant take it with you when you're gone.Make something positive out of something bad that happened long ago and will do no one any good rotting in the ground make no sense.Just my opinion(dont hate me for disagreeing with you)

[whistlingdeath77]

some of the people in these videos are digging up the graves of fallen men and picking through the bones for coat buttons, pins, and medals--something I find very unsettling. There is no archeological approach to what is done in these other videos.

I realize that this might bother some people,But I ask .What good does letting this material molder in the ground along with the bones as opposed to recovering them do?.These people are unfortunately dead and will always remain so.Proper Archaeology will never happen here.They are still digging up Pompei and Egypt.Not only can some poor sole help feed himself and maybe his family,someone else will now enjoy and cherish these items.As harsh as this may seem,Dead people dont miss posessions.Remember,you cant take it with you when you're gone.Make something positive out of something bad that happened long ago and will do no one any good rotting in the ground make no sense.Just my opinion(dont hate me for disagreeing with you)

i'll tell yah what. My Uncle is buried at Saipan after lasting 3 days there and if i found you or somebody else digging him up, i'd unload my m-1 right into your head. No trinkets or buttons is worth disrespecting a fallen soldiers grave

[Enemy Ace]

War graves in Russia and Eastern Europe are being dug up at a incredible rate in order to get the Insignia and equipment off of the war dead. The extremely high prices being paid for especially German militaria are what is driving this. There is little or no concern about it from the authorities because 1. They have bigger problems to worry about and 2. there is still little / no respect for the german dead in that country. Remember, many of the german military cemetaries were obliterated/ bulldozed/ had the markers taken down and destroyed after the war.
With a Genuine SS death's head ring fetching over $100,000.00 these days (The holy grail of 3rd reich collectors) It's actually amazing that more people aren't out there with metal detectors digging stuff up. Remember, most folks in Russia are still living in wretched povery by western standards.
I also find it ironic that a lot of the higher prices paid for medals, etc. come from german collectors.
-Robert

[agent86]

I ask you,If you lived in Russia or other parts of Eastern Europe.How much respect would you have for German War dead?The people digging now are here only due to the actions of their ancestors.If the village that your family was from was burned to the ground and all of your family was killed except for the few who survived and you came from,Would you give a darn about German sensitivities or proper archaeology?.I can guarantee that you would be digging up the remains of these monsters and making a profit from it.Who are we to judge these people?More power to them.Dig up as much and make as much money as you can.Its the least they are owed.We are in no position to judge these people.More than 20 million people of Russian and other Eastern European peoples were slaughtered by the Germans.Time for a little payback

[whistlingdeath77]

I ask you,If you lived in Russia or other parts of Eastern Europe.How much respect would you have for German War dead?The people digging now are here only due to the actions of their ancestors.If the village that your family was from was burned to the ground and all of your family was killed except for the few who survived and you came from,Would you give a darn about German sensitivities or proper archaeology?.I can guarantee that you would be digging up the remains of these monsters and making a profit from it.Who are we to judge these people?More power to them.Dig up as much and make as much money as you can.Its the least they are owed.We are in no position to judge these people.More than 20 million people of Russian and other Eastern European peoples were slaughtered by the Germans.Time for a little payback

OH I FORGOT! We didn't lose over 2000 personel at pearl harbor, we didn't lose how many on the Bataan death march, the slave ships, 9/11 etc. Digging up the dead to make a profit? Your a weirdo man. You think people are owed something? Does that give the right to the Japanese to dig up our dead because we dropped 2 bombs on them? NO it doesn't. What Germany and the Japanese did was terrible and if i was in ww2 i would have tried my darndest to get as many as i could. But your saying 65+ years later it's fine to do this simply to make some cash. OWED!? What did the Japanese repay us for after Pearl? What did we get repaid for 9/11? What did the Jewish community get repaid? Were was our payback after 'Nam and our MIA's?

[PbyCat-Guy]

Agent86, I haven't read too many of your posts, and I don't like you already. You think that the sides that the troops fought on is a justifiable excuse to dig up the dead for their possessions, and that this is very poor thinking on your side. We have bigger issues these days than to keep hating countries for what happened 65+ years ago. If you think that all Germans blindly followed the Nazi "faith" then you should get back into the books before posting stupid comments.

[PbyCat-Guy]

I ask you,If you lived in Russia or other parts of Eastern Europe.How much respect would you have for German War dead?The people digging now are here only due to the actions of their ancestors.If the village that your family was from was burned to the ground and all of your family was killed except for the few who survived and you came from,Would you give a darn about German sensitivities or proper archaeology?.I can guarantee that you would be digging up the remains of these monsters and making a profit from it.Who are we to judge these people?More power to them.Dig up as much and make as much money as you can.Its the least they are owed.We are in no position to judge these people.More than 20 million people of Russian and other Eastern European peoples were slaughtered by the Germans.Time for a little payback

OH I FORGOT! We didn't lose over 2000 personel at pearl harbor, we didn't lose how many on the Bataan death march, the slave ships, 9/11 etc. Digging up the dead to make a profit? Your a weirdo man. You think people are owed something? Does that give the right to the Japanese to dig up our dead because we dropped 2 bombs on them? NO it doesn't. What Germany and the Japanese did was terrible and if i was in ww2 i would have tried my darndest to get as many as i could. But your saying 65+ years later it's fine to do this simply to make some cash. OWED!? What did the Japanese repay us for after Pearl? What did we get repaid for 9/11? What did the Jewish community get repaid? Were was our payback after 'Nam and our MIA's?

Agent86, read up on what Stalin and Mao Tse Tung did to their own people, maybe the relatives of their victims should have payback as well by digging up and selling relics? I don't want payback for what the English crown did to my Scottish and Irish ancestors over the centuries, but perhaps Scottish Independence would be nice.

[muddyboots]

I'm sure this could be discussed without death threats and insults.

[k5083]

Agent86, your perspective on remains and grave sites is rational, but rational is not an acceptable thing to be on these subjects, probably in most social contexts but certainly in a sentiment-laden warrior fansite like this. As you can see, it is just going to get you shunned and insulted.

August

[PinecastleAAF]

I'm sure this could be discussed without death threats and insults.

Is a death threat from a re-enactor really a death threat or just a re-enactment?

[DoraNineFan]

I ask you,If you lived in Russia or other parts of Eastern Europe.How much respect would you have for German War dead?The people digging now are here only due to the actions of their ancestors.If the village that your family was from was burned to the ground and all of your family was killed except for the few who survived and you came from,Would you give a darn about German sensitivities or proper archaeology?.I can guarantee that you would be digging up the remains of these monsters and making a profit from it.Who are we to judge these people?More power to them.Dig up as much and make as much money as you can.Its the least they are owed.We are in no position to judge these people.More than 20 million people of Russian and other Eastern European peoples were slaughtered by the Germans.Time for a little payback

The dead soldier in that grave has given all of the "payback" any human being can give and any judgement reserved for him is to left to a higher dimensional power than you or I. Your view on this is saddening.